furrer



UNITED STATES PATENT union.

ALFRED FURRER, OF BERN, SWITZERLAND.

GAME-COUNTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,916, dated October15, 1895.

Application filed May 1,1896. Serial N0.54-.'7,8l1- (N0 mod l.) Patentedin Switzerland May 8, 1893, No. 6.718,- in Germany September 2,1898, N0.75,444; in Austria April 3, 1894, N0. 102, and in HungaryApril 3, 1894,No. 9,807-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED FURRER,a citizen of Switzerland, residing atBern, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCounting-Frames for Marking the Points Made at Games, (for which I havereceived Letters Patent in Switzerland, No. 6,718, dated May 8, 1893; inGermany, No. 75,444, dated September-2, 1893; in Austria, No. 102, datedApril 3, 189i, and in Hungary, No. 9,807, dated April 3, 1894;) and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the apparatus is to enable players to score the pointsmade in games without being obliged to score by writing.

My apparatus is represented in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure1 shows its front side, and Fig. 2 represents the rear side.

The front side is arranged so that four persons playing together canscore the results in points up to ten hundred and ninety-nine when theyare winners or to six hundred when they are losers. The rear side isprovided with elements allowing two players to score their winnings upto eighteen hundred and sixty or losses to six hundred 3 also each partycan score the number of games lost or won.

In the drawings, A is the frame; I), the guides, secured in the frame,(Wires, rods, rails, &c.,) carrying small bodies or blocks with figures,and a number of them are provided with small rings sliding thereon. Theblocks 0 have the figures engraved, painted, or otherwise marked indouble rowsone upright and the other upside down. On the front side ofthe apparatus the bodies a are divided into four groups. Each groupcomprises three series of ten bodies each. One series serves to indicatethe units from 1 to 10, the middle series from 1 to 10 the tens, and thethird from 1 to 10 the hundreds. The color of the numbers changes fromgroup to group. The blocks on the reverse side of the frame, Fig. 2, aredivided into two groups of six series. Each group is divided into twofrom one half to the other. The difierent series in each group aremultiples of certain units. One series serves to indicate the units from1 to 10, a second series from 1 to 10 the fives, a third series from 1to 10 the tens, a fourth series from 1 to 10 the twenties, a fifthseries from 1 to 10 the fifties, and the sixth series from 1 to 10 thehundreds.

(l are rings sliding on a select number of the guide-bars, as alreadymentioned above and as shown. Before beginning the game they are placedin the middle upon their guides, being maintained in this position bysmall knots e. One half of these rings are painted with a light colorand the other half with a dark color. When a game is won, the winnerpushes a light-colored ring over the knoteup againsttheoutsideframe.Inlosing he pushes a dark-colored ring over the knot on the oppositeside.

The upper and lower slots of each half of the frame on the front sideare parallel to the guide-rods b, Fig. 1, and carry in double rowsonerow upright and the other inverted-the figures 1, 2 to 9, 10, 20 to 90,100, 200 to 600. The said rails are provided with movable or slidingpointers f. These pointers are shifted to one or the other side toindicate the proper figures, according to the minus or loss to bemarked, Fig. 1. When there is a result of minus two hundred andseventy-three, one pointer is placed in front of the figure 200, thesecond pointer on 70, and the third on 3. The inside row of minusfigures on the opposite ends of the game-counter,being duplicates of theouter row thereof, are indicated by the same pointer, the said pointerbeing adapted to connect with either side of the rail. On the rear sideof the apparatus,Fig. 2, only two cross-rails carry these figures forthe same purpose. The side rails of the frame may be employed to printupon the direction how to use the apparatus or otherwise.

The figures marked on the side rails of the frame correspond with thelowest number of each series in order to make it more easy to find therows or series of blocks in which the figures should be shifted. If, forinstance, four persons are playing with dice, each one 5o halves. Thecolor of the figures is changed selects one group on the front side,Fig. 1, I00

with which to score the points thrown. Suppose the first player throwstwelve. He then shifts forward the first block in the row of tenthscarrying 10 and the first two blocks in the row of units, thus markingtwelve. Afterward he would throw, say, nine, making, in addition to theformer twelve, twenty-one. He then shifts forward the second block oftenths and shifts back the second block in the row of units, thusmarking twenty-one, &c. It is always easy to read the final result fromeither side as the figures are repeated on each block upside down.

It is obvious that the parts forming the flame and the form of theblocks may be varied without departing from the nature of my invention.The frame, instead of having different figures on the front and rearside of the blocks, as shown, may also be made double, to be fastenedtogether by pins or otherwise, so as to be detachable, and so thatparties can play separately, one using the front part and the other therear part.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is In a game-board forseparately registering the forward and backward scores of players, aframe provided with parallel guides ar ranged in groups and series, asdescribed, each series provided with ten sliding blocks, the blocks ofthe different series numbered in units, tens and hundreds, respectively,and the rails of the frame provided with sliding pointers, and fixednumbers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED FURRER. Witnesses:

C. HANSLIN, GUsT. SULZBERGER.

